The grekes out gird pere grem for to venge,
And the Troiens full tyte, on the tother halue:
ffull mekill was the murthe, & meruell to here!
The derf kyng Dyomede, pat doghty was ay,
ffore with his fos as a fuerse lyon:

Mony britnet the buerne of the bold troiens;
Mony lede out of lyue with his launse broght.
Troiell pat torfer titly beheld,

Kayres euyn to the kyng, þat he knew well,
With all the corse of his caple & a kene speire.
He tachit on the tulke with a tore dynt,
And he keppit the caupe with a kant wille.
On the brest of the buerne brake he pe launse,
But he woundit not the wegh, ne nowise hurt.
9900 Dyomede with the dynt of the derfe Troielus,
Halfe-lyueles along on the laund felle,

With a wicked wound thurgh the wast euyn.
ban Troiell, the tore kyng, titly vmbraid

9888

9892

9896

THE SEVENTEENTH BATTLE.

9904

Of Bresaid, the bright, with his breme wordes.
The grekes with grem, & with gret strenght,
Hurlit hym fro horsfete, hade hym away.

The shalke on his sheld shoke to his tent,
9908 As for ded of pe dynt dressit hym to ly.
Menelay pe mighty pis myschefe beheld,
The dethe of Diamede dressit hym to venge.
He thoght Troiell to take, or tene with his hond,
And rode to pe Renke with a roide fare.
Troiell keppit the kyng with a kant wille,
Woundit hym wickedly, walt hym to ground:
His hede vnder horsfete hit on the bent.

9912

9916 The men of þat mighty paire maistur can take,
Braid hym on a brode sheld, bere to his tent;
As a lyueles lede, left hym for ded.
Agamynon the grem of pe grekes beheld,

9920 Segh his weghis be woundit, & pe worse haue:
He cald hym a company of knightes full noble,

323

Book XXV.

Diomedes cuts down the Trojans right and left.

Troilus dashes on him;

shivers a lance on his breast, and drives him to the ground.

(fol. 152 b.)

The Greeks raise him on his shield, and carry him to his tent.

Menelaus, to

avenge the death of Diomedes, attacks Troilus:

but is dashed to the earth.

Agamemnon with

a company comes

to the rescue;

Book XXV.

kills and wounds 9924 many Trojans ;

but is severely wounded by Troilus.

(fol. 153 a.) A truce for six months is granted by Priam.

During the truce,
Briseis often goes
to the tent of
Diomedes.

Having no hope of obtaining Troilus, she determines to accept Diomedes.

And fell to the frigies fuersly anon,

Greuit hom full gretly, and to ground broght:
Woundit hom wickedly warppit hom doun,
And myche harme with his hond happit to do.
Troiell with tene turnyt with the kyng,

Gird hym to ground, & greuit him euill;
Woundyt hym wickedly, but no woth in,
bat he light on the laund, pof hym lothe were.
pan he hasted to horse thurgh helpe of his
knightes,

ffore out of fight, and his folke hoole ;
9932 ffor the day ouer drogh, dymmet the skewis,
And all the buernes of the burgh busket to rest.
Than to Priam, pe prise kyng, prestly pai sent
ffor a tru to be taken with treatyng of mowthe:
Sex monethes, and no more, po mighty dessyret,
All parties in pes for to put ouer :

Of his pe kyng and his councell carpit to-gedur.
By assent of his seniours, & sum of his knightes,
Hit was grauntid agayn, & grete men asurit;
And sum lacked the lede for pe long graunt.

9928

9936

9940

9944

9948

9952

In

n tyme of the tru, as tretis þe boke,
Breisaid the burd, vnbidyn of hir fader,
ffull duly to Dyamede dressit to wend,
pat abode in his bed of his bale wound:
Oft tymes in the tru ho to his tent yode,
To comford the kyng in his cold angur.
Yet wist ho full well, pe wound þat he hade,
Betid hym of Troiell, þat was hir tru luff.
Oft ho waivet hir wit & hir wille chaunget,
And meuyt hir mynd, as maydons done yet.
Ho trust neuer with Troiell, terme of hir lyue,
To mell with in mariage, ne more of hir lust.
Ho purpost hir plainly, with all hir pure hert,
With Dyamede to dele, & do all his wille;

ACHILLES STILL LAPT IN LOVE.

9956 Neuer the grete for to grutche, ne the greke
werne,

All his lust & his lykyng, as hyme lefe thught:
So hatnet hir hert in his hegh loue,

And all 30meryng for-yeton of hir yore dedes.

9960 Agamynon the gret, and the good Nestor,

To the choise Achilles [chefe] on þere way;
And he welcomyt po worthy on a wise faire,
As glad of thos gret as his degre wold.

9964 With full speciall speche pai spake to pe kyng,
ffor to force hym to fight, & his feris help;
But his hert was so hardonet all in hote loue

9968 But for lewtie of longtyme, þat þe lede hade
To Agamynon the gret, growen of old,

He hight hym full hertely to haue at his wille
The Mirmydons, his men, þat were of mayn
strenght.

9972 pan he pankit hym picke in his pro hert, Toke leue at the lord, lengit no more, Turnyt to his tent, talkit no ferr.

325

Book XXV.

He wold not mene to his mynd, ne pe men here. promises

to send his Myrmidons.

In hor colours to ken all ouer care wise,
As Remyng with Ruthe by right of hor hede,
bat lappit was in luf, longit full sore:

9984 So pai lutton paire lord & pere leue toke,
ffore euyn to be fight, & the fild entrid
With soft pas all somyn in a sop holl.

(MS. has "chose.") Agamemnon and Nestor again plead with Achilles to assist the Greeks.

He still refuses to join them, but

(fol. 153 b.)

OF XVIIJ AND þE XIX BATELL.

When the dayes were don of the du pes, 9976 Agamynon with his grekes graithed to feld.

All the Mirmydons men were mightyly arayed, Myrmidons of By charge of Achilles, þat was pere cheffe lord. He assingnet yche Sege sekurly to haue, 9980 As dropis of dew droppyng of Rede,

Achilles accompany them.

The truce is ended, and the Greeks take the field. The

Book XXV.

The Duke of Athens is borne down by Troilus,

The Myrmidons suffer severely.

Night ends the battle.

Thoas is captured:

(fol. 154 a.) but is soon rescued by the Myrmidons.

Troilus is surrounded by the Myrmidons.

pan þe Troiens with tene tachit on þe grekes,

9988 And oppressid hom with payn, put hom to

ground.

The Duke of Attens full derf, doghty of hond, ffaght with hom felly, & hor foes noyet.

Troiell the tru knight turnyt to pe Duke,

9992 And bare hym ouer backeward, he bult on pe

erth;

Gird to pe grekes, & myche grem wroght;

Mard of pe Mirmyden with his mayn strenght;
Woundit hom wickedly, walt hom of horse;

9996 Myche harmyt the hede men with his hond one. Thus pai laiket o pe laund the long day ouer, Till the sun in his sercle set vndernethe:

Then perted the pepull, presit to þere hold, 10000 And loget the long night till the larke sang.

The secund [day] suyng, sais me the lyne,
Bothe the batels full brem on [the] bent met.
Kene was the crie, crusshyng of weppyn:
10004 Blode flemyt o fer in flattes aboute !

Philmen the fre kyng, & fuerse Polydamas,
King Toax þai toke & turnyt away.

But the Mirmydons with mayn met on hom sone,
10008 Refte hom the Renke with a roide fare;
Hent hym of hondes, hade hym at ese,
And alto hurlit po hedmen, harmyt hom euyll.
pan come Troiell ffull tyte with a tore weppyn,
10012 Mony of po Mirmydons maynet for euer;

Hew hom doun heterly, hade hom to ground; With mony hidious hurt harmyt hom mekill. pai presit vmbe the prise knight prestly onon, 10016 And the horse of pat hathell hewen to dethe;

Wold haue fongit the freike with hor fyne

strenght,

And haue led the lede the lystis vnto.

NINETEENTH BATTLE.

Book XXV.

pan Paris the prise knight preset in swithe, 10020 With his noble brethir naturell, nait men of werr. Paris and his

brothers to the rescue.

pai met on the Mirmydons, macchit hom hard, Pallit thurgh the persans, put hom beside, Hurlit þurgh the hard maile, hagget the lere, 10024 And deliuert the lede lawse of hor hondes,

Horsit hym in hast þurgh help of his brether.
pan wacknet pere wo & mony whe sorow!
The Mirmydons, for malice of the mayn troielus,
10028 ffoghten so felly the fregies among,

On Swargadon þai slogh, a sure mon of armys,
A prise sun of Priam, & a pert knight,

The noblest of þe naturell, þat noiet hom all.
10032 Troiell weppit for woo with watur of his ene,
And brochit in bremely his brother to venge;
With Parys, the prise knight, & proud men of
Troye,

Mony warchond wound wroght at pat tyme.
10036 The Mirmydons were mony & of mayn strenght,
Wise men in werr, wight of hor dedis,
Graithe of hor gouernaunce, grym in a feld,
Of all fetis enfourmyt, pat to fight longit:

10040 Thai segh the troiens so tore & tentymys moo;
pai hade no might, ne no mayn, pe men to with-
stonde,

But assemblit on a sop sadly to-gedur,

And ay droghen o dregh, as hom deirit lest.

10044 On nowise in this world weir hom þai might;
But Troylus with tene ay turnyt hom doun,
Sundrit the soppis with his sad dynttes,

Shot thurgh the sheltrons, & shent of hom mony.
10048 Than Agamynon the grete & grym Menelaus,
Telamon the tore kyng, & tidé Vlixes,

And Diomede the doughtie, pat duly was hole,
All gird in full grymly with a gret pepull,

327

10052 Restorit the stith fight stuernly agayn.

Troilus and

Paris avenge the death of their brother.

(fol. 154 b.)

Agamemnon and Menelaus succour the Greeks: